Cup dispensing device



Oct. 31, 1961 Filed Sept. 26, 1957 J. G. O'NEIL CUP DISPENSING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVEPJTOR. To/av G. ONE/L A To 75 Oct. 31, 1961 J. G. ONEIL CUP DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Sept. 26, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR.

J'abw G. OWE/z.

lea-(M M United States Patent 3,006,503 CUP DISPENSING DEVICE John G. ONeil, 5156 Sheridan Ave. S.,

Minneapolis, Minn. Filed Sept. 26, 1957, Ser. No. 686,533 1 Claim. (Cl. 221-307) This invention relates to a dispensing device for cups, such as cylindrical or frusto-conical shaped disposable cups commonly used from which to drink water, soft drinks, hot or cold beverages, such as coffee and the like. It is desirable to have a very simply constructed device, such as is adapted to make use of the carton or container in which the cups are initially packed at the point of manufacture. It is desirable to retain said cups in said carton or container until the same have been withdrawn for use. It is also desirable to have such a dispensable device as may be used in connection with either rigid or flexible cartons or containers for said cups.

It is desirable to so use said cartons or containers as indicated above so as to keep said cups free from contact with the atmosphere or from being handled by the operator until said cups have been withdrawn for use. Commonly used dispensers generally require that the cups be removed from the original carton or container in which they are packed and be placed in a receptacle adapted for use with the dispensing device.

It is an object therefore of this invention to provide a very simply constructed device for dispensing cups for beverages from the original cartons or containers of said cups.

It is another object of this invention to provide a dispensing device for cups adapted to retain said cups free from contact with the atmosphere and from handling by the operator until withdrawn for use.

It is a further object of this invention to provide dispensing device for cups adapted to support a carton having a plurality of cups therein, whereby the lowertIIlOSt of said cups is engaged by said device in such a way as to form a seal about said cup, with the lower portion of said cup being extended outwardly of said dispensing device for easy Withdrawal therefrom.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a dispensing device comprising a rigid open-ended member adapted to have connected thereto an open-ended portion of a carton or container having a plurality of cups therein, said member being adapted to have said cups move therethrough, said member having a resilient lower end portion having a variable reduced dimension adapted to sealingly engage the lowermost of said cups with the lower portion of said lowermost cup extending outwardly of said member for easy withdrawal therefrom, and means for holding said member in a desired position.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of applicants device;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view in side elevation showing the various portions of applicants device;

FIG. 3 is a view in vertical section on an enlarged scale taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 1 as indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a view in horizontal section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3 as indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a view in side elevation showing a modification of applicants device;

FIG. 6 is a view on an enlarged scale of a vertical section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5, as indicated by the arrows; and

FIG. 7 is a view on an enlarged scale in horizontal 2 section taken on line 7--7 of FIG. 5, as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, a packing container10 for disposable cups is shown. Said container may be variously formed and is commonly in the form of a parallelepiped made of paper board or fiber board material. Said container as here illustrated is indicated as being made of a flexible transparent plio film material. The central portion of said container 10 is circular in transverse section and adapted to contain therein cups 13 in nested position. Said container is here shown having converging end portions 11.

Said cups 13 may be variously formed. They are here illustrated to be of a commonly used variety frustoconical in form having a tapered body portion 14 and a beaded upper edge portion 15. Said cups will be preferably of a size to hold six or seven ounces of liquid.

Said container 10 will be sized to permit said cups 13 to feed or be moved longitudinally therethrough very easily, as by gravity.

For use as a supporting member in connection with said container 10 and the cups therein is a rigid openended member 17. Said member 17 may be variously formed to support a container and more particularly to support a container, such as said container 10. Said member 17 is here illustrated being formed as an openended cylindrical member having a smooth interior of a size to permit said cups 13 to move freely therethrough.

Said member 17 is shown having a smooth upper exterior portion 18 and a lower portion 19 having a somewhat larger exterior diameter and having a plurality of spaced parallel circumferential grooves 20 thereabout. The lower end portion 21 of said member 17 is shown being tapered.

Said portion 18 will be of a diameter to have the lower end portion of said container 10 drawn somewhat freely thereover. Said portion 19 will be of a diameter to have said lower end portion of container 10 drawn snugly thereover. Said member 17 may be made of various suitable materials. It is here indicated as being made of a rigid transparent plastic material.

Adapted to cooperate with said container 17 to assist in holding said container in position and permit the withdrawal of cups for use is a holding member 25. Said member 25 may be variously formed. It is indicated here as being made of a flexible resilient material and preferably a rubber material of some thickness adapted to be relatively free from deterioration and able to ret-ain tension for a considerable period of time. Said member 25 is shown to be cylindrical in form having a substantially round bead 26 on its upper edge and having a plurality of spaced parallel ribs 27 on its inner side adapted to mate with said grooves 20. Said head 26 is adapted to mate with one of said grooves 20 or to rest on the shoulder 22 formed at the upper edge of portion 19.

The lower portion 28 of said member 25 is shown to be tapered and is of a reduced inner dimension. Said portion 28 may vary in length.

Said member 25 is adapted to snugly fit over the grooved portion 19 of said member 17 and to overlie and hold the lower portion of container 10 therebetween. The use of ribs on the inner surface of said member 25 is not essential for holding the lower portion of said container 10 in position, but the mating of said ribs 27 and grooves 20 with said container therebetween gives a positive holding effect.

The inner dimension of portion 28 at its lower end portion will be such as to snugly engage the lowermost of said cups 13 about said bead 15 at the upper edge of said cups. Said engagement of said member 28 about said cup 13 will be snug enough to form a seal and yet permit an easy withdrawal of said lowermost cup as by a jerking movement. It is seen that the inner dimension at the lower end portion of said member 28 may be increased by merely moving said member upwardly of member 17.- Thus a'variable adjustment may be had of said lower dimension. 7 n p A bracket 30 :is adapted to have clamping portions 32 extend substantially about and embrace applicants device about said member 25 as shown in FIG. 1. Said bracket has a base portion 31 which will be secured to wall 33 in a suitable manner and will have a vertically extending slot therein for receiving the rear end portions of clamps 32 to hold the same in operating position. i

In operation, the lower end of said container 10 will be cut off to open said lower end at the point of its maximum dimension. Said opened lower end portion of said container will be drawn over member 17. The upper portion of said member 17 is smooth and is adapted to have the open-ended portion of container 10 fit thereover rather easily. The lower portion of said member 17 has a slightly larger external dimension and when drawn over this portion said container 10 will fit thereon snugly.

Said resilient member 25 will'then be drawn upwardly over the lower portion of said member 17. The internal ribs of said resilient member 17 will be mated with the grooves 20 of said rigid member. Thus the lower end portion of said container 10 is firmly held between said resilient member 25 and said rigid member 17.

The lower end portion'of said resilient member 25 is formed to have a reduced inner dimension. Said member 17 is adapted to have the cups 13 feed freely therethrough from the container 10. The lower end portion 28 of said resilient member 25 is adapted to engage and sealingly grip the lowermost of said cups 13 at the beaded portion 15 of said cups. Thus the lower portion of the lowermost of said cups will be extended outwardly for some distance while held sealed in posi tion and may be conveniently withdrawn with a slight pull or with a jerking motion. If it is found that said member 25 is engaging said cups too tightly, then said member 25 may be drawn upwardly over said member 17 and it is seen that as saidmember 25 is drawn upwardly, the dimension of its lower'op ening will increase in size. Thus there is provided a controlled variable adjustment of the lower opening of said member 25. Thus it is seen that said resilient member 25 is adapted for use with cups having various sizes at their upper end portions. Said resilient member 25 will be adapted to engage the lowermost of said cups sufliciently so as to form an air tight seal thereabout and yet will permit an easy withdrawal of said cup. Thus the upper portion-of the lowermost cup and the cups nested thereabove are kept free from contact with the atmosphere ,or from handling by the operator.v -No one of the cups need be handled whatsoever in placing the container in operating position. Thus the cups in said container 10 are kept in a very sanitary sealed condition.

A bracket 30 is provided having simple clamping portions 31 adapted to embrace a substantial portion of said resilient member 25. Said bracket ,may be easily mounted in any desirable place. With reference to FIGS. -7, a modification is shown adapting applicants device for use in connection with rigid or paper board cartons or containers for disposable cups.

The rigid open-ended member 17, the flexible member 25 and the cups 13 are identical with like parts previously described.

Depending from said plate 37 and aligned with said opening 38 is a cylindrical portion or collar 40 to fit onto portion 18 and be supported on the upper edge portion of said member 25, as shown in FIG. 5. It is desirable that its elfective length be as illustrated in FIG. 5 and support said portion 37 so that the upper surface of said portion be flush with the upper end of said member 17.

Upstanding for some distance from said plate 37 and integral therewith are supporting members or fingers 42. Said fingers may be variously formed and are circumferentially spaced about said opening 38 and adapted to be disposed respectively in the corners of said carton or container 45 to extend upwardly into said container to hold said container in an upright position. Said fingers 42 are here shown to be substantially triangular in cross section with their inner'sides being positioned adjacent the periphery of said opening 38. The upper end portions 43 of said members 42 are beveled and are shown to be inclined upwardly and outwardly. Said fingers 42 serve to hold said container 45 in an upright position and also serve to guide the cups 13 therein to feed through said member 17. 'Said cups '13 will thus feed freely downwardly through said member 40, through said member 17, and the lowermost cup will become engaged by said member 25 as indicated in the operation previously described. Thus it is seen that I have provided a very simply constructed dispensing device having very few parts and adapted to quickly and efiiciently hold in operating position a container having nested cups therein for the purpose of dispensing cups from said container. Applicants dispensing device is being produced on a commercial basis and has proved very successful in use.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and pro portions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is: a V

A' cup dispensing device having in combination, a rigid upstanding container for nested cups, a rigid openended cylindrical member having a shoulder formed thereabout and having a plurality of spaced annular grooves about the lower portion thereof, an adapter comprising a plate member having a circular opening therein fitting over said cylindrical 'member, a collar about said cylindrical member for supporting said adapter, a plurality of upstanding fingers attached to said plate member spaced about said opening thereof, said fingers being positioned to be. disposed within the inner side of said container to hold the same in a stable upright There are various ways in which applicants device may be modified. In the embodiment of the invention here presented, an adapter 35 is fitted onto the upper portion 18 of said member 17. Said adapter 35 as here shown comprises a rigid plate 37 of some thickness, square in plan and having a circular opening 38 therein of a diameter to nicely fitover said portion 18.

position, a flange formed by said plate member for supporting said container and a resilient open-ended cylindrical member having a plurality of spaced annular detents therein and a restricted lower end opening having said detents mating with said grooves about said cylindrical member to be removably secured thereto for removably holding said cups in operating position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

